Life is a Cabaret
by Soulless Warlock
Summary: Canon Start of HarmonVerse! What exactaly stoked Jack's interest in Glee? Take a trip back to Season 1 where life was not a cabaret for the diva in residence, Rachel Berry, and how she met an eccentric performer who would become a club's worst nightmare.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot to this story and my OCs. The rest all belongs to Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, the various songwriters, and to the writers of any joke that may not be mine.**

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**Setting: Set during "The Rhodes Not Taken." This is stuff that wasn't shown on screen.**

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Rachel Berry raced into the green room behind the auditorium, hoping against hope that Mr. Ryerson had not arrived earlier than he had said he would. She slowly pushed open the door, craning her around to see that the room was empty, save for one individual. Jack Harmon, the student cast in the role of the Emcee, was sitting at the piano, his fingers moving across the white keys.

_"And if I make you feel good,"_ Jack sang, _"after knowing all you know is really only all that you see…All the lives of me."_

She entered the room, closing the door behind her. The slight sound of the door closing caused Jack to stop planning and spin around into attack formation. He looked around, eyeing Rachel before checking if she was being followed.

"I'm sorry," the tiny diva apologized. "I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"I thought you were Ryerson," Jack said, standing up from the pillow. "If I have to hear one more rant about how the talent isn't supposed to touch the piano, he'll be joining the ranks of the Castrati."

Rachel arched an eyebrow. This was not lost on Jack, who rolled his eyes in frustration.

"They were a group from the 1600s, boy sopranos that, to preserve their high voices, were…"

"I know what they are," Rachel interjected. "I'm just stunned that someone my age knows about them."

"As am I," Jack said, a flicker of admiration in his tone. "To be honest, I didn't think I would see you again. Considering the hell Ryerson put you through I half expected that he was going to replace you with that one girl with the lazy eye."

"Which girl with the lazy eye?" Rachel asked, she would get to the other topic later. She did not remember the girl with the lazy eye.

"I think her name is Yuki," he provided.

"**He** doesn't have a lazy eye, he's Asian," Rachel blanched, stunned at what she had just heard.

"He can't be Asian, he's terrible at math," argued Jack, "and no one is that pretty and a boy. Expect Leo DiCaprio in the 90s. But, it's irrelevant; you're here so I'll be able to understand Sally for one more day, at least."

Jack turned back to the piano, pushing the key cover up again. He seemed distracted by the instrument, his demeanor wordlessly saying that he had intentionally insulted Yuki for the express reason of it would give him silence.

"Why did you think I quit?" Rachel finally asked.

"Because, one, if Fred Ebb saw what Ryerson is doing to his show, he would roll out of his grave, die again, and do a 360 before planting the casket back in the grave," Jack said, playing an unfamiliar composition. "Two, he's been on your ass since you started."

"Some directors are difficult," Rachel argued. "Like Jerome Robbins. He was notorious for being difficult."

Jack snorted at that comment. "But, he was a genius. When you're a genius you're allowed to be as annoying as humanly possible. Actually, you be as annoying as divinely possible and get away with it. Ryerson is not that genius," Jack concluded, his attention still on the composition on the piano.

Rachel knew he was right, Ryerson was ruining the production and she was powerless to stop it. This was one of those times where she wished that she could quit and return to glee. But, that wasn't an option. Especially since Mr. Schue had gotten desperate and had recruited April Rhodes to the fold. No, the theatre troupe were her new friends, she would lead them to glory.

"I don't recognize that song," she blurted out, the music had been helpful in strengthening her resolve to sticking it out in the hell Ryerson called art. "Is it a new piece or did you write it?"

"I wrote it," Jack's focus was on the song.

"It's very nice," Rachel said honestly.

Jack nodded. "I know that it's nice. But, it'll be better once I find the right notes and lyrics for it."

"Can I see it?"

This is what got Jack's attention off of the music. He seemed surprised, almost paranoid of handing it over to anyone. He reached for the sheet music.

"I normally don't do this; I lose more music that way. Though, you're not the type that would ruin someone's work."

He handed Rachel the papers. She examined them, smiling at the almost perfect handwriting and the perfect curvature of the notes. It was actually pretty good. It could use a lot of work, but considering that Jack seemed to have a perfectionist personality, he wouldn't be satisfied until he heard the words "It's perfect" from both himself and a producer.

"Is it just one song, or is it something else entirely?"

"It's a song for a musical that I've been working on for the last couple of years."

This caught Rachel's attention. "A musical?" she inquired, taking the free chair by the piano. "About what?"

"Well," Jack began, "I've had this dream for a long time that if _Evil Dead_ deserves a musical so do all the other B-horror movies," he explained. "Considering the fact that any idea I present to the American Theatre Wing would be rejected purely on the basis that it is too good for the peons of the world, it may never be produced."

He took a breath.

"Though, when I finally take over the world it will be one of the first things I mount for my entertainment. May I have it back?"

Rachel handed Jack his music, which he carefully brushed, as if to remove any existing creases. He placed the music in his folder.

"I don't want blood soiling my hands," he said. "Ryerson will be here any minute and I'm in no mood to listen to him squawk."

Rachel watched him walk away and take a seat at the far end of the green room. He seemed to slip into a meditative state, finally silencing himself.

"Something has to be done about Mr. Ryerson," she said to herself.

She had gotten him fired once before, could she do it again? Of course she could, she was Rachel Berry, she could do anything. But, would that stop another incompetent from coming in to ruin the show she had sacrificed her friendships, possible love interest, and chances for glory to get the lead? She had to go another route to circumvent that potential disaster.

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After another hellish rehearsal, Rachel went straight to the source of both the glee club's woes and Mr. Ryerson's return: Cheerio coach Sue Sylvester.

"Coach Sylvester," it was actually rather easy for her to get Coach Sylvester's attention, she was alone in the hallway. "I have some issues with Mr. Ryerson and the directions he is taking the spring musical."

"Spill, Lips," the visibly annoyed coach said, "I've got a show to tape and time is money."

"He is ruining the play by creating scenes that are completely irrelevant to the plot, inventing cherography far too difficult for the students, aside from myself and Jack Harmon, and he seems to want to be in the show himself."

"I absolutely agree," Sue said. "When I heard Sandy say he was going write himself into the show dressed as Cleopatra I was aroused…then furious."

"So, then we both agree that we cannot let that happen."

"We are. That is why I am bestowing upon you creative control of the show."

"Full creative control?" Rachel beamed, this was a dream come true.

"Full creative control."

And with that, Sue turned around and exited the school, leaving Rachel in a state of euphoria. She was going to take this show to the top.

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But, as those who are familiar with the history of New Directions know, Rachel threw that creative control to the wayside to rejoin her real friends after April left them in the lurch. They went out and sang "Somebody to Love" by Queen, leaving the crowd completely blown away.

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After the show, Rachel exited the auditorium.

"Pretty good up there," Rachel heard a voice sneaking up behind.

"Jack?" she said, surprised, but mostly happy that he had seen the performance. "What are you doing here?"

"Considering that you stormed out of rehearsal this evening I was wondering what the fuss was about," he said. "Plus, I wanted to see if what Coach Sylvester was ranting to Ryerson about was true."

"And did you find out?"

"Oh, it is," he replied, staying cloaked in the shadows of the empty school. "So much so, I told Ryerson to kiss my dummkopf and I quit the show."

"You quit?" Rachel was legitimately stunned. The Emcee was a role written for this actor and he quit.

"Don't sound so surprised," he said. "Actors leave their star-making roles all the time for a juicer one."

Rachel examined his face, which was half-covered by the darkness. "And what role is that?"

"As a member of glee," Rachel almost choked on the air when he said those words. "I audition tomorrow and I will get in."

He turned into the darkness.

"Until them, Fraulein Berry," he said, craning his head out of the darkness to reveal his face. "Auf wiedersehen! A bientot! Good night…"

"And good night to you, Herr Harmon," she said back. "I am overwhelmed."

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**A/N: And so ends another chapter in my intro to Jack Harmon, or in this case name that musical reference. I hope you guys enjoyed this story. I, myself, do not feel it is up to snuff with my other works, but I'll let you be the judges. **

**Fun Game that will get you nothing but my love: **

**Try and find all of the references to musicals in the story. **


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